Many infants derive comfort from sucking on a pacifier or a bottle nipple. Infants who become dependent on pacifiers for comfort are reluctant to relinquish them as they grow up. As a result, the habit of sucking a pacifier or a bottle nipple is sometimes carried over into early childhood. Continued use of sucking devices beyond the age of one year can lead to health-related problems. Pacifier or bottle-nipple sucking by an older child causes drooling and accumulation of moisture around the neck of the pacifier thereby increasing the risk of infection. In addition, continued use of the feeding bottle in older children can lead to dental caries especially if the bottle is used at bedtime. Furthermore, prolonged sucking of the bottle-nipple or pacifier can cause deformities in the child's teeth and roof of the mouth. Thus, it is desirable that sucking of pacifiers or bottle nipples not be continued beyond infancy.
The most commonly used method of weaning a child from the use of pacifiers is to abruptly stop giving the pacifier to the child. This often leads to prolonged episodes of crying by the child and considerable anxiety for the parents. Therefore, weaning a child from the use of a pacifier or a bottle nipple can be an emotional struggle for both the child and the parent.
Generally, the pacifiers or nipples that most infants become dependent upon have a smooth surface. Thus it may appear that the smooth texture of the nipple surface is desirable for infants to suck on. However, many sucking devices are disclosed in the literature that have modified surfaces. Such modifications are purported to provide a soothing or massaging effect, or provide a mode for delivery of materials through the nipple.
Pacifiers with projections on the nipple surface have been described as teething or gum massaging devices. U.S. Pat. No. 1,826,943 (Maker) describes a pacifier having tiny projections on its surface. The pacifier is elliptical at one end and lobular at the other. The lobular end is generally held by the infant in the mouth. Two holes run along the length of the lobular part of the pacifier. The device soothes and massages gums during teething and free admission of air through the holes discourages any tendencies of sucking. U.S. Pat. No. 5,284,490 (Green) describes a generally flat teething arrangement that has projections mounted to its top and bottom surfaces. When an infant sucks or chews on the teething arrangement, the projections massage the infant's gums. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 87,240 (Podell), and Des. 336,520 (McDaniels) also disclose pacifiers having projections on their surface.
Pacifiers or sucking devices with perforations in their surface have generally been used previously to provide liquids to infants and other individuals. U.S. Pat. No. 2,824,561 (Mueller) describes a combined infant pacifier and feeding device. The body of the pacifier is provided with a number of perforations. A liquid can be supplied to the body so that upon sucking, the liquid will be available to the infant through the perforations. U.S. Pat. No. 3,875,940 (Beuther) describes a sucking device that is fork shaped so as to fit around the teeth in an individual's mouth. The device has apertures at one end and can receive liquid from the other. The device is designed for individuals whose diet is restricted to liquids. U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,519 (Teves) describes a sound generating pacifier that has a hole in the nipple so as to allow air to enter the pacifier, which is then directed to produce sound. In addition, Des. 353,461 (Byrd) discloses a pacifier with perforations.
While many pacifiers or devices are known in the literature that have modified surfaces, none of these devices can be used to wean an infant or a child who is in the habit of sucking on a pacifier or bottle nipple. In all of the previous devices, projections or openings are made so as to render the device more desirable which leads to a greater dependency of the child on the device. A need therefore exists for a system wherein sucking a pacifier gradually becomes less satisfying to the child so that the child does not want the pacifier any more and therefore is weaned from it without the usual emotional trauma involved with such weaning.